United Remnant Band of the Shawnee Nation facts for kids

The United Remnant Band of the Shawnee Nation, also known as the Shawnee Nation, United Remnant Band (URB), is an organization in Ohio. Its members identify as descendants of the Shawnee people. In 2016, the group became a church.

There are three federally recognized Shawnee tribes. These tribes are located in Oklahoma.

About the URB's Status

Even though the group uses the word nation in its name, it is not a federally recognized tribe. It is also not a state-recognized tribe. Ohio does not have an office that handles Native American affairs. It also does not have any state-recognized tribes.

In 1979 and 1980, the Ohio state government held meetings about recognizing the United Remnant Band. The band shared historical and family documents. They hoped these documents would show their connection to the historical Shawnee people.

The Ohio General Assembly held these meetings. They heard from many different groups. In 1980, the Ohio General Assembly passed a special resolution. This resolution was called "Joint Resolution to recognize the Shawnee Nation United Remnant Band." However, this was a congratulatory resolution. It was mostly a ceremonial statement. It did not create any new laws in Ohio.

Many groups in Ohio claim to have Shawnee ancestry. One example is the Vinyard Indian Settlement. However, Ohio does not have a process to officially recognize tribes.

How the URB Started

In 1971, people in Ohio started the United Remnant Band of the Shawnee Nation. It began as a 501(C)(3) nonprofit organization. A nonprofit organization is a group that uses its money to help a cause, not to make a profit.

Jerry L. "Hawk" Pope led the URB for over 40 years. He was the leader until he passed away in 2015.

In 2016, the group was accepted as a church in Ohio. This means it has a special status for tax purposes.

Today, the nonprofit organization is called Zane Shawnee Caverns. It is a Christian nonprofit group. In 2021, the Tides Foundation donated money to the organization.

Leaders of the Nonprofit

The leaders of the nonprofit in 2022 and 2023 included:

• Tribal chief and executive officer: Lukas Peshewa Pope
• Nation's mother and secretary-treasurer: Beverly Nightwind Isaacs
• Clan mother and secretary-treasurer: Lacy Little Bear Pope

Who Can Join

The Shawnee Nation, URB says that people who want to join must show their family history. They need to prove they have at least one-eighth Shawnee ancestry. This means one of their great-grandparents was Shawnee. For children, the rule is one-sixteenth ancestry if a parent can prove their connection.

Activities and Places

Properties Owned by the URB

In 1989, the URB bought 110 acres of land near Urbana, Ohio. They also bought another 20 acres of land nearby.

In 1995, the URB bought the Zane Caverns. They also bought a museum that was connected to the caverns. These properties are located between Zanesfield and Bellefontaine, Ohio. In total, the group has bought 330 acres of land in four different counties.

They renamed the campground, museum, gift shop, caverns, and surrounding land. It is now called the Zane Shawnee Caverns and Southwind Park.

The museum in Bellefontaine was made bigger. It was renamed the George Drouillard Museum. George Drouillard (1773–1810) was part of the Lewis and Clark Expedition (1804-1806). He was a Shawnee interpreter and hunter.

Special Coins Project

The US Mint once asked the United Remnant Band to make pouches. These pouches were for special sets of the 2004 Lewis & Clark Bicentennial silver dollar. However, the Indian Arts and Crafts Board told the Mint that the group could not sell these items as "Indian made."

The Indian Arts and Crafts Act is a law. It says that only members of federally or state-recognized tribes can sell their art as "Native American made" or "Indian made." Because the URB is not a recognized tribe, they could not sell the pouches under this label. The US Mint then gave money back to customers who had bought the pouches.

Notable Members

• Robert W. Russell (1941–2021), a poet and novelist from Ohio, used the pen name Nas'Naga.